In an apparent rebuke to President Trump over his immigration policies, Gov. Murphy urged schools to develop a plan in case ICE shows up. (Courtesy of the New Jersey Governor’s Office)
Immigration activists have mixed feelings about guidance issued by the state Department of Education urging school districts to develop protocols in case federal immigration officials show up at schools.
The guidance came after the Trump administration threw out federal policies that protect undocumented immigrants from being arrested in “sensitive locations” like schools and churches, and amid a rise in uncertainty and fear in parents, children, and teachers about how far-reaching President Trump’s threat of mass deportation is.
“They knew that this was going to be the outcome, and they waited until this week to issue guidance. Better late than never, but at what cost?” said Amy Torres, director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. “It’s great to put out this guidance, but I think it’s going to take a lot of effort to make sure that everyday administrators and teachers have time to go through and read all this.”
Since Trump took office Monday, his administration has rolled out the aggressive immigration policies he vowed to implement while on the campaign trail. He’s signed sweeping executive orders related to immigration, including expanding the military’s role in border security, canceling refugee resettlement, ending the asylum program, and attempting to limit the constitutional right to birthright citizenship.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration reversed guidance that had been in place for over a decade restricting immigration agencies from carrying out enforcement in “sensitive locations.”
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
The state issued its guidance to schools Wednesday. It urges districts to develop protocols for how to handle Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who visit schools with an ICE warrant for arrest of alien or a warrant signed by a judge, how to support children and their families, and what type of information should be shared on the spot with immigration agents.
If an immigration agent declares an “exigent circumstance” and demands immediate access, school officials should comply and immediately notify top school administrators, the state says.
Torres called the language about exigent circumstances “fuzzy,” saying ICE agents have lied to families in order to arrest someone or masquerade as local law enforcement to get people to open their doors. ICE officials might make up those circumstances to access the school, she said.
Itzel Hernandez of immigrant rights group American Friends Service Committee said she supports the guidance, but believes it could be stronger. She said the vast majority of teachers aim to protect students and that they care about investing in students’ futures.
It’s why she’s not surprised at the overwhelming number of requests from schools seeking more resources on how to best support parents, educators, and students.
“There are so many schools asking for presentations and want to know what to do,” she said. “I’m glad guidance came from the top, and I’m sure that some folks will have at least some sense of direction after they see this.”
Cristian Moreno-Rodriguez is the founder of El Pueblo Unido, an immigrant advocacy group in Atlantic City. The organization sent a letter to Atlantic City school officials urging them to “move with all sense of urgency” to set up the protocols and policies called for in the guidance, he said.
“Our sense is that unless the community responds and shows up, that they won’t move on it. Our fear is that they won’t respond swiftly, and unfortunately, we’re in a situation where every day, families are at risk,” he said.
All the activists said they’ve heard reports of parents unenrolling their children from public school out of fear that ICE agents could show up and low attendance rates in schools with high immigrant populations.
“What we’re hearing both from our community and the network of teachers we organize with is that everyone is anxious and everyone is fearful of what could happen,” Moreno-Rodriguez added. “Everyone is sort of on alert in terms of when the next ICE raid will be. Will it be a job site? Will it be on the school route while parents are walking their kids to school?”
School staff should be prepared for the basics, Moreno-Rodriguez said, like educating secretaries and administrators on different warrants and ICE forms, how to communicate with immigration agents, and how to inform families of their rights related to immigration.
El Pueblo Unido and other immigrant organizations are holding “know your rights” workshops to educate people on what to do if there’s an ICE raid (Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said ICE agents raided a business in that city Thursday). Moreno-Rodriguez said he’s received messages from Atlantic City teachers who want to distribute the cards with information about people’s rights.
To avoid creating a sense of distrust or fear, Moreno-Rodriguez said he wants to be proactive and collaborate with multiple groups in the area — including teachers — to ensure immigrants don’t feel like they have to hide.
“I think the reality is that there will come a day where immigration officers come to Atlantic City or come to New Jersey, and that’s where if we’re not organizing now, then we’ll lose that battle of people retreating back into the shadows,” he said.
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